Two sides
by louella
Summary: Harry and Dempsey have an argument. If only they would listen a bit more and shout a little less.


**AN: Just a little angsty piece. You wonder why they've got ears.**

Harry dumped her bag on the floor and dug around in her drawer for a pen. She growled to herself when she couldn't find one and slammed the drawer in frustration. Dempsey looked up from his seat.

"What's bugging you, Makepeace? Harrods run out of Bollinger again?"

Harry turned her head slowly towards him, her gaze icy. "What's 'bugging' me, Lieutenant, is that I've had to watch you, once again, bend the rules to prise information out of a witness."

"What witness?" Dempsey sounded genuinely baffled.

"That poor bank clerk. What was her name, Jenny? Jilly?"

"Ginny."

"Yes! Her. Ginny. Young, silly, almost pretty, just waiting to have her head turned by a charming American with a vacuum where his morals should be."

Dempsey's eyes narrowed. "What are you-"

"Actually that's not fair," Harry interrupted, waving her hand in his direction. "It's not her fault that she fell into your path. Not her fault that she had to be interviewed, and I use that word loosely, by a police officer who's perfectly willing to sell himself like a cheap hooker to get what he wants."

The babble of the squad room had slowly quietened down and there was total silence after Harry's words. Half a dozen heads bent determinedly over desks.

Dempsey's voice was low but angry. "Like. A. What."

"You heard."

"Listen, lady. I'm gonna do you the favour of assuming that you don't know too many cheap hookers but you are way out of line."

Harry's gaze was steely. "I'm not the one pouring myself all over witnesses so they give me information they shouldn't."

Dempsey's feet landed on the floor with a thud. "Well maybe you need to look a little closer at yourself there Makepeace, coz I've seen you work your magic on hundreds of guys when the need arises. All in a good cause and all that."

"How dare you." Harry's voice could have frozen the Sahara. "I would never use people like that."

Dempsey let out a burst of harsh laughter. "Makepeace, you use people on a daily basis. You swirl your body in guys' faces until they can't resist you and they give you whatever you want."

Sitting up straighter in her chair, Harry pushed up her sleeves and slowly crossed her arms. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said deliberately. "I don't flatter and lead people on like you do. I don't make people think I'm really interested in them when really I couldn't care less."

Dempsey rose to his feet and walked across to Harry. He laid his hands flat on her desk and leaned over. "Listen to me, Princess. I would never lead anyone on, I just act nice to people. Maybe you wouldn't recognise what that is, but if it makes girls feel happy then that's fine by me. No one's getting hurt."

Harry stared up at him. "You really think people aren't getting hurt?" she snapped. "You think it makes people happy, do you, to have you lay on the charm, make them think they're special, then have to watch you walk away without a second glance?"

"What would rather have me do, huh? String them along for years and never deliver the goods? Aint that more your style, Makepeace?"

Half a dozen heads bent even lower. The faces of Chas and Spikings appeared at the open door of Spikings' office. Harry raised herself slowly to her feet.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she said, her voice thrumming with quiet anger.

"Well we all know the Ice Queen aint gonna warm up enough to see it through, don't we?" Dempsey advanced on her, his height giving him the advantage as he looked down at her, prodding at her shoulder. "You'll never loosen up enough to go home with anyone, no matter how much you make them want you."

Harry's body was shaking with rage. She said, "At least I don't sleep with every willing person who stumbles across my path." She shoved her palm at him but he stayed firmly in front of her. "At least I don't leave a trail of broken-hearted women in my wake."

Dempsey bent lower, his head just inches from hers, his words harsh and angry. "And at least I don't flaunt myself at everyone in the vicinity until they can't think straight for wanting you. You ever think about that, huh, Miss High and Mighty? You ever think about the damage you do, or is it all somehow my fault?"

Harry let out a growl of sheer frustration, shoving him hard in the shoulders until he stumbled. She picked up her bag and strode out of the squad room without looking back. Dempsey watched her go, his breathing faster than normal, his eyes flashing with anger. He dropped back into his seat and looked around the squad room. "What you staring at," he snarled, picking up a newspaper and pretending to read.

Spikings and Chas retreated back into Spikings' office. Spikings said, "Do you think they were listening to each other?"

Chas shook his head. "No, Guv," he said. "I think they were both stuck in transmit."

"Pity," said Spikings. "If they'd been paying attention, they could have learned a great deal."

**THE END**


End file.
